Illinois vs UAB: Bielema’s Big Test | Illinois Fighting Illini Football News

Illinois rolls into their 2026 opener against UAB with high hopes, led by grad transfer QB Katin Houser and head coach Bret Bielema’s steady leadership. With a 37-26 record and back-to-back bowl wins, the Illini are heavy favorites to start strong—while UAB, fresh under new head coach Alex Mortensen after a coaching shakeup, looks to pull off another upset. Kickoff is Thursday night at 8 PM CT on the Big Ten Network. Listen in comfort:Get a discount on a Soli Pillow: http://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/93484b483386a356